AROUND WANGANUI.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 42, 13 November 1907, Page 2

AROUND WANGANUI.

[From Our Travelling Correspondent.] Riding over a paddock at Belmont (Wanganui) tlio other day, 1 saw a good idea for making drains. It was this: the drain was opened in the usual manner, narrow at the bottom, about 18 inches at the surface; manuka was put in, butts down in tlio direction of the flow of water; then on the manuka straw was placed and well trodden, and tho whole finished off with tho thrown-out soil. The part which struck mo as being good, was. the addition of straw. In this particular case, it was barley. straw, which, of course, was of no use for chaffing. I was told that it lasts for a good many years. Gould's Metal. I have noticed in some districts round Wanganui, that a good deal of "Gould's metal" is used for road repairs.' This is simply scrub cut from tho road side, thrown into holes, and soil placed on top. It comes in handy where _ shinglo is scarce. Tho namo arose from its uso by a roadman in Kiwitca County. \ Wanganui is evidently going to become a place at which a great many retired peoplo will take up their residence. I have como across quito a number recently. There are sovoral farmers who havo come to live hero having cither disposed of their farms, or placed them under tho care of managers. I th'ought when I was down tho Manawatu line a .few months ago, that land for dairying had just about reached its utmost value, seeing that it was fetching up to £43 per acre, for bare grass paddock land. But when I wont through somo of tho land in the Westmore district, I found the price up to £G0 —and oven £70 per acre, on which dairying was carried on Surely, from a commercial point of view, there cannot bo much margin in these values. A Cood Investment.' "A few sheep on any farm are a good investment." This was forcibly brought under mv notice when crossiug a paddock, up the Wanganui River. It was a dairy farm, and the carrying capacity was/gradually getting less each year, simply on account of the rapid spread of Cape weed, which was smothering the grass in every direction. Now if a few sheep wore kept, to run with tho cows, they would keep this nasty weed in check, and many othors besides. I remember when in Mako Mako last year, a fanner told me that ho had been almost driven out of dairying on account of tho rapid spread of Capo weed, ox-eye daisy, and ragwort. Two years ago ho had sold' sonic of his cows and spent the money on sheep, and at tho time I saw him- he said ho could then carry nearly as many cows as he had previously, and in additoon he had tho sheep—which all goes to show that

a judicious stocking with both sheep and cattle is the better plan. The Blackberry Pest. Two years ago, Mr. Preston, at Papaiti, opposite Upokongare, showed mo a piece of 'ground which, when he took up the section, had a bad patch of blackberry. He had, be told me, got rid of it by constantly cutting. I was rather sceptical, so last year I asked him. again, when ho said there had been vcrv slight signs of the blackberry, and the other day; he told me that it was completely gone. It is an awful thing to get rid of, as a rule. Most people will tell you it can't be. done. It is to bo hoped that the experiments which are being undertaken in the Nelson district, by putting Angora goats on blackberry, will prove successful. It not only spreads by the tips of shoots which rest on tho ground taking root, and thus forming a new plant, but is spread to a much greater exenfc by birds carrying seeds and dropping them all over the place;